


Wo5G: Battles of the Bastards

by D_m0045



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood Magic, Dark Jon Snow, Dark Magic, Inspired by Skyrim lore, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post ADWD, Red Priests, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Thu'um
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:01:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D_m0045/pseuds/D_m0045
Summary: The Cowardly Jon Snow has started calling himself the son of Noble Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. He has refused King Aegon's terms of surrender. Blinded by the prophesy that was Daemon Blackfyre's doom; The King of the frozen and starving North has challenged The True Dragon. Jon Snow and his howling savages in shaggy pelts will face the Golden Company and Knights of the Vale led by King Aegon himself. The Scourge of Skagos will lose to The Harbinger of Peace.The North has decided to respond to the terms with deeds, not words. While Lady Stark and The Grey Company prepare for the upcoming Battle at Flint's Fingers; King Jon has gathered his army of Berserkers to meet the royalist forces before they cross the Twin Tombstones.To give the North a fighting chance against the forces of R'hllor and Y'ttundar; Brandon Stark was forced to bring Cerebrorn; the Weirwood Tree that binds the world; in the physical realm. Although, this Weirwood Tree will provide an ever-fruitful harvest season to its surroundings; its existence has also unleashed Fantasia upon the world.Meanwhile, the true threat is Growing Strong in the South. King Euron Greyjoy, Drowned God Reborn, has begun creeping towards Highgarden.





	Wo5G: Battles of the Bastards

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Winter's Tale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/360410) by [just_a_dram](https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_dram/pseuds/just_a_dram). 
  * Inspired by [Dragons of Ice and Fire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8346424) by [serpentguy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/serpentguy/pseuds/serpentguy). 



> So I have been meaning to write a story influenced by Norse Mythology and a little bit Skyrim Lore with some liberties to ensure battles like Jon vs. R'hllor, Jon vs. Euron etc. Basically, I wanted a story where Jon and Daenerys's first meeting is as equals rather than one being clearly superior. A story where a balance of power could be created.  
> Then, last April, I read Dragons of Ice and Fire by serpentguy; who had executed similar ideas in his story quite masterfully. His story about the ramifications of Jon having his own Dragon on the World of Ice and Fire is quite entertaining. So a special shout out to him, as a lot of my own story is inspired by his, but this is definitely a different beast. Also, If you haven't read that story, you should check it out.  
> Also, a shout out to just_a_dram, as this fic is partially inspired by her fic, A Winter's Tale.  
> This story will be quite different from GRRM's vision, so some of his foreshadowings are going to be ignored. There would be some major Canon Divergences from established show canon and book canon, which I would explain later.  
> As this is my first fanfic, I would urge you to be understanding regarding my mistakes. Hopefully, I might write my full vision before ADOS releases.  
> Now, this is a warning to any show!Jon or Jon as Ned Stark 2.0 fan, this story might not be for you. He is a villain and far more like Tywin than Ned here.  
> 

** God Exists; and he fights for the North **

If the above statement starts to chill you after a couple of moments’ consideration, then don’t be alarmed. Even now, a feeling of intense and crushing religious terror at the concept indicates that you are still sane.

Although, this was said in context of King Jon and his seemingly impossible victories against King Aegon, that no amount of luck or talent could have justified; I believe that this statement is more applicable for the King of the Forest. Unlike most, I have had the pleasure to meet both Winter’s King Jon Snow and his younger brother Brandon the Springbringer. The first time I met them, my mind just started screaming and then shut itself down; refusing to believe that they exist. (Contrary to the rumors; you do not hear Ominous Valyrian Chanting; when he stands in front of you).

Once I got used to the shock of their physical presence; I found that Brandon appeared more distant than Jon Snow. It is no fault of his; as it is not easy to accept that feeling of dream-like unreality brought on by his mere existence, even gradually. The idea that one day, a young child would be hovering in the air right in front of you, capable of raising lush green forests instantly, moving from one place to another without covering the intervening distance and controlling nature itself with a single thought seemed flat-out impossible. In comparison, the feats displayed by others who were recognized as Gods, although equally improbable, at least felt closer to some twisted mythology, rather than outright destroying any reassurances that could be provided by faith.

I was a maester once so it was even harder for me to accept that a child could generate bountiful harvests from scorched fields instantly. But, once I had accepted him to be real and not a figment of my imagination, this new world that I had to live in was still not easy to digest. The Gods now walk amongst us, affecting our lives directly.

I still remember my first encounter with one of these men who would later become Gods, it was days before Oldtown was obliterated, when we used to refer to him as the ‘Fool of Arbor’. According to Archmaester Benedict, he had missed his opportunity to sack Oldtown by wasting his time in Arbor and letting the Reach assemble its full might. Even though we all mocked his intelligence or lack of it; none could deny that there was an edge to his madness that had spread an unease throughout the city. As if we all truly believed that the end was near. The whole city was going mad, despite any attempt to instill order.

For me, avoiding him was a close call. Yes, I was one of the few who chose to flee like a craven. My cowardice helped me escape the fate of my brethren. Those who were fortunate, were killed instantly; those who were not; have become an unspeakable tragedy. To see these brilliant minds reduced to that pitiful state; continuously chanting those words like a prayer. I will not… nay I cannot write the words they speak in that archaic tongue, for it still terrifies me; but for the curious I will write its closest translation. I will write it illegibly as a warning to any wish to avoid them.

**_~~(Euron Is).~~ _ **

That day when I chose to flee; I also had an encounter with the man who would later become the Grand Maester of Northern Westeros. The young Maester Tarly was travelling along with a shy woman Gilly and a child that clearly did not belong to one of them. It astonished me that that young man was a friend of the Wrathful White Wolf and he had been in frequent contact with him during his stay here. I doubted his claims at that time. Maester Tarly had shown an interest in the higher arts, which did not earn him many friends there. To all of us, he was another who would join the long list of lunatics who believed in sorcery over science

At the citadel, we were encouraged to see science as the traditional enemy of mysticism; and to keep ourselves away from those delusional fools and their ramblings. Of course, I ignored Tarly’s claims of meeting the Others and their army of the Dead and his tall tales of even killing one. He did not seem like a liar but his words contradicted known facts. But, he had a very interesting theory. He believed that the Army of the Dead were nothing more than some sacrificial lambs for the true army of the White Walkers. That, they were some sort of Glorified Scouts; and the Other’s had no true need of them. Without Obsidian or Dragonsteel; even a single Other is unstoppable. So the sole purpose was to break your resolve. If you chose not to flee on sight and were armed with a proper blade; the Other would face you only after you were exhausted. But his stories became ridiculous when he started speaking about Jon Snow meeting Others that could talk in Common Tongue; that there was some sort of hierarchy in the army of White Walkers and that their Commanders wore transparent armors made of some ice-steel alloy.

But not even once did Maester Tarly stop rambling about the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Most of the times, he would end up cursing him. But, his tales managed to impress Maester Brubak enough to depart for the North with him. He would end up writing the _Journals of Jon_ , a book which documents his tenure as the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and his eventual rise to becoming the King in the North. Unfortunately, it does not go beyond _‘ **The Payback War’**_. I am sure many would have liked to read about **_6 th Blackfyre Rebellion _**or ** _Jon’s Conquest_** ; or the events of the _‘ **The War for the Dawn’**_ or the _‘ **The War of Five Emperors’**_ written by my former colleague. Unfortunately, the former is now seen as an irrelevant chapter in Westeros’ history and the only known published records of the latter two are Archmaester Marwyn’s _Elemental War_ , which completely ignores any political development in favor of the Mystical Repercussions and the Sphinx’s _War of the Three Queens_ which although a good read, has far too many wisecracks and riddles.

Now, contrary to popular belief; _War for the Dawn_ and _War of Five Emperors_ were two overlapping but not interchangeable wars. The first battle of _War for the Dawn_  was during the time between the Black Sun and Blood Moon that was given the tasteless name  ** _Festival of Frost and Flames_** by the bards. War of Five Emperors started after the Valyrian Empress arrived in Westeros. That was the Second Year of Winter. _War of Five Emperors_ was a war for supremacy. _The Lover's Quarrel_ was a proof of that. The political alliances that were being established by the Crimson Lion, Dornish Sun and Red Wolf while their respective monarchs were busy bringing the Fire, Steel and Terror of Targaryens on God-Emperor Euron Greyjoy had nothing to do with _The War for the Dawn. The War for the Dawn_  involved the two Lords of Light trying to destroy each other and the world as we knew it to be. Basically, any battle that does not mention Brandon Stark is not related to _The War for the Dawn_.

Even after we fought 'The War to End Wars'; there is still a certain sense of unease in the realm; I believe it is because of the uncertainty and fear that Magic has brought back into the world. The political and religious landscape is far too different than it used to be. **_‘The War of Five Emperors’_** not only devastated Westeros; but due to the nature of their ‘Global Alliances’ ended up ruining Essos everywhere from The Narrow Sea to the Lands beyond Shadowlands. The Known World is now fractured. This era of  _False Peace_  brought by King Jon through the hated ** _‘Treaty of Prince’s Pass’_**  feels like a precursor to an even more destructive war that will soon follow.

Now, coming back to the man who inspired that atheist to utter those words; the man who revolutionized warfare in a way not even his ancestor Aegon could. If you are somehow unaware of him; I would like to give the Wind Wraith a brief introduction.

If you enquire about him in Northern Westeros; you will see him as a man who has gained a reputation for far too many things. Whether it be his implacable nature, his generosity, his ambition, boundless intelligence, cunning disposition, preternatural strength and his mastery of weapons, sorcery and draconic arts. Hardly anyone is unaware of his prowess on and outside the battlefield. And that is if somehow you can ignore the abundance of romantic proses about how the love that exists between him and his Beloved Queen Sansa has none equal. There is hardly a tavern where you will not hear even a single song about their love. Heck, I have even heard a song about her removing that impenetrable armor of his. If any of the song being sung is not about them; then it will be about her. Perhaps, it won't be too bold to say that his wisest decision ever is going to be the woman he married. 

The opposite is true for Vesteros. Here you would be forced to identify him as a ruthless, heartless and arrogant barbarian and nothing else. A man who caused the schism in the Faith of the Seven and a warmonger that divided Westeros into three distinct territories.

There is one of his quotes that you just cannot avoid there: _Mirre Westeros iksis iā giez ezīmagon hāre Dār_ _ȳ_ _ti_  

There are only three ways he is portrayed in the local dramas there:

  1. A cold hearted tyrant who played with Queen Daenerys's gentle heart, used her, dishonored her and then set her aside.
  2. A petty, spiteful, dishonorable and cowardly man; a portrayal too far from the Dragon King known for his penchant for destruction.
  3. And lastly, a drunken lech who forced himself on the Dragon Queen and then later publicly shamed her, after inviting her to his kingdom. 



It is quite surprising that the love story of King Jon and Queen Daenerys that was once being hailed to be the Romance of the Century, despite its many ups and downs; has now been reduced to tales of how he raped her, cheated on her and eventually shamed her. To me, this portrayal somehow manages to do injustice to both of them. (I would wager that these portrayals are being spread by the royalist circles in the court. I mean, there must be a reason why none of the local productions feature the conflict between The Dark Dragon and The Fair Dragon).

When the Mother of Dragons finally arrived in Westeros, she had immediately declared herself as the rightful ruler of all the Seven Kingdoms. Westeros was finally under the shadow of the Dragons; that had been King Aegon’s leverage against his enemies. After the humiliations, he had to suffer in his recent war, King Aegon knew that he needed the Mother of Dragons to restore House Targaryen to its former glory.

Although, now King Aegon is seen as nothing but a naif who had become intoxicated with a heady draught of being Dragonlord-by-Association and milked it for all its worth; there was a time when he was seen as the Harbinger of Peace. The madness that had gripped Westeros, ever since the War of Five Kings was finally showing signs of slowing down. Even though, new contenders had risen to fill their roles; the War of the Five Kings had officially ended. King Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of His Name, finally sat on the Iron Throne. It seemed that Peace was finally returning to the war-torn Westeros. The Faith and Crown had finally reconciled; after the Schism that existed due to the actions of the Wildfire Queen. Even the Red Priests and High Septon were willing to set aside their differences to serve the Targaryens. After that horrible war; the idea that the realm could finally be at peace, even if it came with the threat of dragons, was a comfort to many.

The threat of their reappearance had once again shifted the political balance drastically. Again, many felt that this was for the best. They believed that no one except the Targaryen’s should ever command any Dragon-like creature. The Burning King’s _Reign of Terror_ was still fresh in everyone’s minds. It was undeniable that this monopoly which would give rise to the Targaryens’ unquestioned military supremacy would provide them with certain leverages, where they could dictate anything to their advantage. King Euron Greyjoy would not be _lucky_ against the dragons, the North would let go of its foolish demands of sovereignty and the threat from beyond the Wall would be _powerless_ against the prophesized savior Daenerys Targaryen. By placing our fates in the hands of Dragonlords and their Dragons, it was assumed that we had finally guaranteed lasting peace in Westeros. Many claimed it to be the will of the Gods; who favored the Targaryens, as they were the rightful rulers of Westeros and the only ones who could ever bring peace. The irony of their claims still amuses me. Even if one ignores the recent events of that winter; I am unable to locate any evidence of the centuries of peace their rule had brought to Westeros.

King Aegon had almost conquered the Seven Kingdoms. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we all say that it was foolish of King Aegon to bully the man who would later earn the name  _Dreadful Dark Dragon_. His actions at Twins had already forced many to wonder about the monster that was hiding underneath his youthful visage. But, it was the 6th Blackfyre Rebellion that showed the realm his blood-lust, his savage nature on the battlefield and his cruelty. The war was a disaster for King Aegon and his allies. His army suffered heavy losses.The Warden of the East once wished to become the Lord Paramount of the North. King Jon rewarded him by bringing unparalleled destruction across the Vale of Arryn. To defend their Gods; The Suns and Stars had started hunting the heathens in the South. King Jon fed tens of thousands of their corpses to the Red Fork.The Faith of the Seven, that had once openly opposed him, had started fearing him. But most of all, King Aegon lost his dignity. The Dornish Princess had abandoned him to defend her lands from Euron Greyjoy. She no longer saw him capable of helping her. The realm no longer feared him. Now, King Aegon showed promise at the start of his reign. He could have become one of the Greatest Kings known to Westeros. Him bringing Lord Tully into the fold were the proof of his political shrewdness. But, he should have realized his limitations.  _A politician is not a conqueror._

See, every decision made by him was on the assumption that the threats to the Targaryen Rule would be powerless against their dragons. The dragons would destroy the armies of his enemy before they even assembled. No castle was mightier than the Dragonfire. So, his enemies would never risk instigating a full scale conflict. And it was not in his interest to start such a conflict; therefore peace was ensured. His chain of thought, while comforting, was nothing but wish fulfillment. The basic flaw in Aegon’s assumption was underestimating the capabilities of his enemies, downplaying their achievements and misjudging them by comparing them to their respective predecessors in The War of the Five Kings. While every single one of the Five Kings was noble and heroic in their own way; their successors were either ruthless tyrants, crazy despots or both.

{Due to the influence that they would later have in Essos and lands beyond, these men would be dubbed as ‘Emperors of the New World’ by The Iron Bank (calling them God-Kings or God-Queen is a rather recent development)}.

Long before Oldtown had become the dystopian S'hulgtnahor; Archmaester Benedict had given these men embarrassing nicknames, such as, The Fool of Arbor, The Absolute Madman, and The Golden Impersonator, to downplay their threats. These names were of course given to them before all but one of them used to call themselves as a King, but their power and influence was undeniable and they had already given us a taste of the destruction they would bring in their wake.

Another flaw in his assumption was that Queen Daenerys would share her armies with him or ever see him as her equal. Even if King Aegon had given her the entire Seven Kingdoms; instead of offering her less than a third of the realm; King Aegon would have failed to offer her anything that she could not have without him. Years ago, Aegon the Conqueror had conquered Westeros with the might of three dragons; she possessed hundreds of such creatures that she had acquired from Valyria and Shadowlands. The largest known Dothraki horde in history followed her. She had a Legion of Unsullied. Over half of Essos had declared for her. The former slaves now worshiped 'The Breaker of Chains' as their mother. Additionally, The Red Priests of Volantis and Shadowbinders from Asshai and beyond followed her.

Her time in Essos had shown her that there was no army that could ever hope to oppose her. The Great Cities were no match for her either. As far as she was concerned, Westeros would not be any different. But, I would not be discussing her exploits in Westeros.

As much as amusing it might be for the court to show Queen Daenerys; the Fire Empress as some sort of a powerless meek woman now, I will remind you all that nothing is farther from the truth. It seems that the court has already forgotten; how she ensured that certain rebel houses were forced to accept reduction in lands and demotion of titles; while those who resisted, were reduced to ashes. The court should not foster the illusion that the Queen of Ashes would suffer these indignities endlessly.

Contrary, to what some among my brethren have started believing; King Jon is not completely without the ability to feel love and trust others. It is just that he had decided long ago that he would never trust anyone else with the lives of his people. In the 6th Blackfyre Rebellion, King Jon made sure that the realm understood that this was the last time the Targaryens and their lackeys would ever be allowed to influence key areas of Northern Interests. The endless wars, that he had to fight in that winter and his countless enemies gradually hardened him to the point where he is now unable, or perhaps, unwilling to believe that the men could ever stop playing the Game of Thrones.

Although many were taken back by the fact that their relationship failed; what truly confuses me is how the hell those two extreme personalities managed to stay together?

Lord Tyrion has remarked that it failed because both of them were far too passionate; who were either too similar or too different wherever it mattered. There was no balance between them. Then again, Lord Tyrion is also the man who had declared after **_‘The Lover’s Quarrel’_** ’; that Jon Snow was a man who treated his army as expendable and his family as a burden. To me, these are nothing but pathetic attempts to hide the fact that he had misjudged the Wrathful White Wolf. He was blinded by his ability to conjure up lightning storms with a single word and was then played like a fiddle by the Stark sisters. He could have made a better decision if he had bothered reading Maester Starlin’s _Mutually Assured Destruction_ rather than dismissing it as a fool’s half cooked notion.

Before my views become too much controversial, I will admit that what he did to Queen Daenerys was needlessly cruel; but it was foolish of her to assume that he would have just accepted her actions in the **_‘The War for the Dawn’_**. King Jon is a man whose benevolence is dwarfed only by his obsession to protect mankind from the threats that were going to sacrifice billions of innocent lives for their war. He had learnt about their destructive potential in the battle that the singers have dubbed as **_‘Festival of Frost and Flames’_**.  Everything he has done was to ensure that his kingdom would later become a safe haven for all those who wished to escape the chaos that had consumed the realm. After that the main reason why they ended up estranged was because he never believed that Queen Daenerys would not threaten his people with eventual domination.

My Order has still failed to define him and is split into various factions over him. Is he a Visionary who brought peace and prosperity to his kingdom or a Glory-Seeking, Power hungry Bastard, as his detractors claim him to be? Is he a heroic conqueror or a bloodthirsty warmonger, who brutally crushed his enemies just to prove his superiority over them? Were his actions in the Vale, justified retribution against  ~~Lord~~  Petyr Baelish for his ambitions to control the North and his supposed crimes against House Stark or were they the result of his supposed obsessive quest for Unrivaled Northern Supremacy? Is he a revolutionary or a reformist? Is he truly the God of Sky, as his worshippers claim him to be; or the Demon King of the Seventh Hell; a title given to him by the High Septon?

Heck, most of them still can’t figure out why **_‘The War of the Five Emperors’_** ended the way it did.

To them I will say that, if one wishes to understand the actual reason for the hated **_‘Treaty of Prince’s Pass’_** that followed **_‘The War for the Dawn’_** ; one must understand the events that caused the **_‘6 th Blackfyre Rebellion_** _’_ which followed the ** _‘Payback War’_** ; another devastating battle fought on the Northern Soil.

Despite their repeated pleas for help for the upcoming Battle at the Wall; North was being denied any sort of aid by the Iron Throne. Every single one of Lady Sansa’s pleas had been ignored. Rather, she was being summoned to answer for her crimes in the Purple Wedding.. Instead, she was being told to treat with their common ally Lord Baelish, as soon as possible. Any further delays on her part; would only result in further loss of lands and ranks by House Stark. The Lord Hand wished to bring them to justice for their crimes against the Crown.

There were many reasons for such hostilities by King Aegon the Righteous. First was their role in the rebellion. I will not dwell on that as it has been well documented elsewhere. Second was the Burnt King Stannis Baratheon. At his coronation ceremony; King Aegon had vowed before the court that the North would pay tenfold for the damages that Stannis Baratheon brought upon King’s Landing. After melting over half of King’s Landing; The Burning King had abdicated the Iron Throne and exiled himself to Dragonstone with that beast of his; marking an end to his reign of terror. King Aegon knew that his armies were powerless against the might of Burning King. He could not defeat him without the aid of The Dragon Queen; who at the time was rapidly gaining a terrifying reputation in Essos. So, it was decided that the North would be held responsible for all the carnage wrought by the King Stannis.

The last and eventually the most important reason was Jon Snow. Even though, he was the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch; his influence was growing throughout the North. His schemes were seen as the reason why fortunes had started favoring Stannis again. In a short time, he had become even more famous than that Red Priestess. Every victory that King Stannis had gained against the Golden Company were seen as his handiwork. There were rumors that just like The Dark Knight; Stannis was another one of his enforcer. That if Stannis is ever crowned; Jon Snow will be the one who takes the Throne.

This reputation was because of his role in **_‘The Winter Wedding’_**. He had all but extinguished House Frey; a declared Targaryen Loyalist house. Few could call his actions, after burning the Twins as anything but outright butchery.

Additionally, there were certain dark rumors spreading in the realm at that time because of the wildling refugees and deserters of the Night’s Watch. None of the deserters knew; how Stannis gained that blade, his fiery form or that beast. What they spoke of was even more troubling. I don’t know what we were expecting. After recent events; we were questioning them with an open mind. We all expected them to speak of the Other’s returning riding their ice spiders. But, nothing could have prepared us for that. When the deserters were questioned, a certain pattern started emerging. In some way, they all spoke of unimaginable horrors that were now beyond the Wall, and that thing that melted King’s Landing, was just one of these gargantuan beasts.. They spoke of ice demons and dark shadows with faces fighting each other, the chaos brought by the army of the dead, how ice spiders hounded them, of dead things in the water and wingless dragons with an icy breath. Two things that were common in every interpretation were descriptions of floating castles and burning skies and finally, Jon Snow swinging his sword defiantly against them.

The Crown had decided that these rumors were nothing but rumors and if true; were not their concerns. King's Landing had taken a lot of damage from the actions of The Wildfire Queen and The Burning King. Thankfully, food and gold had arrived from both Pentos and Lys. Crates of candied ginger had arrived to celebrate the Young King's Coronation. Additional aid was coming from Pentos. We were sure that King's Landing would recover from these horrors and would be celebrating Spring soon enough.

So, Lord Hand was now more focused on Stannis in the south than some mythical beasts in the North. The fact that Wildfire Queen had somehow acquired an army of twisted half-human hybrids and that King Stannis was able to draw a line around The Red Keep as if it was a line drawn in the sand was no longer more improbable to him than the Return of Others. It was quite surprising that Lord Connington had lost his motivation to even talk about the North and was instead focusing his energy on Stannis.

At that time, the only information, I had about the lands above the Neck, was that various factions were trying to seize control of the North; most obvious were the Boltons, but some outsiders took their chances as well. Due to this, the North was engulfed in a Bloody Civil War. I knew that the Crown was ensuring that this conflict would continue at least until The Dragon Queen arrived.

Simultaneously, every single one of Lady Sansa’s ravens that warned about the coming threat were being destroyed. I know that because I had read them myself and then subsequently had to throw them into the flames. The ravens from the North kept repeating those claims. Ignoring her troubling descriptions of the army marching towards the Wall; she was instead told to surrender before it’s too late, by every single lord who had sworn fealty to King Aegon. After some time, she just stopped pleading for aid. _King's Landing had failed her once, somehow it failed her again._

Days after King Aegon's coronation ceremony; an already bad situation somehow became worse when the exiled Lord Bolton came to seek asylum. He revealed that the Crisis in the North had been resolved, that Jon Snow was alive and that the Northern Lords, including Lord Manderly, had crowned him as their king. King Aegon was not pleased, when he learnt about the fact that the Fat Lord had been deceiving them and was actually supporting Lady Sansa and her army. The High Septon had swiftly declared that he was no longer _‘The Defender of Faith in the North’_ for his crimes of fraternizing with the ‘Enemy of the Seven’. But, his next statement, killed all the whispers in the Court. The Court had to be dismissed immediately to attend an emergency council meeting.

It was the revelation that Jon Snow was the son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Ever since he heard those claims; the Lord Hand had grown livid. While everyone else was thinking about their next step; Lord Connington had lost his senses and was rambling like a mad beast. Even though, the Small Council later declared them to be false; none could deny that it was certainly a possibility. I will not mention how much biased they all were, or the profanities Lord Connington had uttered to describe House Stark; but I will state that he had sworn to King Aegon, bent on one knee; that he would punish every single of the Northern Lords for their secessionist intent. He vowed to kill Eddard Stark's bastard with his bare hands. Seeing that soft expression on the face of The Bloody Storm as he said those words; made me feel as if I had swallowed a bat. But, now the Throne was no longer concerned about the wildlings infesting the North; rather the fact that Jon Snow may be a Targaryen and the Dark Dragon that was once prophesied to become the King; most probably by some drunken fool. Everyone willfully ignored the fact that while King’s Landing was almost destroyed by just one of those monsters that came from beyond the wall, the North could now be facing a large host of them.

Now King Aegon had grown even more hostile towards the North. Earlier, he was only trying to make sure that The North would starve itself in the Winter and would be dealt with as soon as Spring comes. But now, he had called for his banners and decided to march on Winterfell before the end of Winter. He had also penned a letter addressed to his brother, which contained certain conditions; and had even promised his aid, if Jon Snow would fulfill every single one of them.

At that time, even the former allies of the North had abandoned them. The Lords of Riverlands and Stormlands had already seen the Bitter Steel that hid beneath the Gold. Their lands were sacked beyond recognition; so the actions of Stormlands and Riverlands were understandable. They no longer were in any condition to provide any aid. It was the enthusiasm of the Knights of the Vale that somehow surprised me. Officially, The Vale and the North had developed certain ideological differences and they had sworn themselves to King Aegon, declaring him as _‘The King of Knights’_. Unofficially, King Aegon bought for a very high price. To hide that, certain justifications were provided. Some said that these hostilities were due to the fact that Jon Snow was a threat to the Starks and Lord Eddard Stark was quite dear to them. According to them, they were doing it to protect the rights of Lord Robert’s crippled cousin. They were doing it to protect Rickard Stark. Others said it was because Lord Robert wanted a certain Alayne Stone; that Jon Snow had kidnapped from the Vale. Jon Snow stole his Alayne; so just like his namesake he had decided to call his banners to protect her. I am not sure if this story was made before or after he was revealed to be a Targaryen. The various other justifications are far too ludicrous for me to even mention. While initially, the Warden of the East had personally denied the bounty of Vale to the North; now he was using his fleet to barricade them.

The North always had been a vulnerable land; surpassed only by the Riverlands. And now it was surrounded by enemies at all fronts. Coupled with the fact that they were starving in what might be the harshest winter in recent history, King Aegon expected them to surrender Jon Snow to him in chains.

So, the North was wounded, starving and if King Aegon was to be believed soon to be humbled.

Due to such a situation, during the **_‘Payback War’_** , the entire North had to fight quite bitterly and sustained heavy losses against unimaginable horrors. It was the Other’s lack of success in their assault upon the Northern Heartland that assured their eventual defeat in **_‘The War for the Dawn’_**.

Though it was paid mostly by Northerner’s lives; entire Westeros would reap the benefits of their success for the first year of that Winter. After ‘The Month of Spring’, that was experienced by every region near a Godswood and the way Winter had grown milder in the realm; there was a sense of childish excitement; if one could ignore the fact that the clouds had started looking like branches of a weirwood tree.

Now I am sure that due to the growing political differences between the Northern and Southern Westeros; in time, the North’s contribution to the war effort would be downplayed or outright dismissed; as they glorify their own contribution and show how their estranged allies were helpless until the dragons came to Westeros. They might forget, but _The North Remembers_.

In the aftermath of his victory in **_‘Payback War’_** ; King Jon had announced that he would never allow his kingdom and his people to be threatened in a similar manner ever again, _no matter the cost_. Due to the relief on the Northern Front; King Jon would now ensure that everyone who had once misjudged the situation, been carried away by their greed to control the North would sorely come to regret it.

King Jon had a new mission. To make sure, that the realm understood that this was the last time the Targaryens and their lackeys would ever be allowed to influence key areas of Northern Interests.

Sometimes I think, if maybe King Aegon had chosen to fight alongside his brother rather than outright antagonizing him; Westeros might not be the mess it is today. But, it doesn't matter anymore;  _the damage had already been done_.

 


End file.
